Showing posts with label Individual Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Individual Project. Show all posts
Thursday, 20 March 2014
TIME 22:54
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Soft whispers fill the small town of Lensit. People had been living here with all their hearts loathing for music. They have such an inexplicable hate for music, they all moved into one town for they see music as a bad omen --- the apocalypse. More than so, they see it as the devil's work.
"My brother was also playing music while doing this thing called 'dancing' and he was flailing his arms like this. Both his arms and legs were in casts after that.” a girl explained as she thrashed about on how her brother did it. "My neighbor has one of this thingamajig called 'discs' and then when he sang, I heard that the glass window broke and some of the shards pierced through his throat. It was a gory sight, really. I wasn't able to sleep for a few days after.” another piped in. The town’s prestigious scientist then stood up and raised his eyeglasses to his nose bridge, giving off a cool vibe, “You'll be possessed when you hear 'music' apparently.", female swoons were heard.

Music is utterly forbidden in town. All these accounts on how this noise had done nothing but ruin their lives, the fear that this 'possession' were bound to happen and their poor souls would be dragged to hell was enough reason.

Much to our protagonist's torment, he's compelled to move to this town because of some family issues back in his old place. To Lucas, music was his blood. It was his oxygen. As the only child of a well-known concertmaster, he was already exposed to the world of music even before he was born.
Months flew by as slow as a growing tree. The deafening silence was getting unbearable for Lucas.
“I need to get out of this place. Fast.”
                And so he did. He made a run to the forest, in hopes of finding peace of mind and more silence. But there are insects there, right?  He murmured.

                Psst.

                Lucas wasn't sure to either run faster or turn back. This is like one of those horror films I just know it. Nonetheless, he turned to where the voice came from.

                There was a shadow looming behind the old oak tree, “Hey kid, I know it sounds ridiculous, but you can never leave this town. I’m going to sell you these but for a fair price,” there was some rustling and the shadow handed out what looked like corks. “What are these?” Lucas asked. “They are called earphones. You stuck them in your ear and you’ll experience euphoria unlike any other.”, the shadow hissed. Lucas’ eye shone in bewilderment.

                “I’m going to sell you these for a fair price,” there was a long pause, “Your soul.”

                “You’re a bagman.”, Lucas retorted.

                The shadow brought the thing to Lucas’ ears; he couldn't move.


Title: On a Lesser Probability
Word Count: 472
Genre: Humor, Slice of Life, Drama, Mystery, Suspense
Author’s Note: 500 words aren't enough.

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Phoebe Rivera
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Wednesday, 19 March 2014
TIME 23:33
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Pond’s is undeniably one of the most popular skin care and beauty brands in the Philippines. It is used by millions of Filipinas wanting a fairer, cleaner, and smoother skin, more particularly on the face. In mid 2010, Unilever’s Pond’s released a new formulation to be added to their list of best-selling facial care products.

“Formulated with Activated Carbon and Vitamin B3, Pond’s Pure White is a deep cleanser that exfoliates dead skin cells, and draws out impurities and dirt from the skin’s surface, as well as deep within pores to reveal your natural, pure-white looking skin.” The company claims that their innovative product contains activated carbon also known as activated charcoal, which is a form of carbon subjected to heat to increase adsorptive powers. This main ingredient is meant to adsorb the impurities in the skin, therefore revealing a clearer and fairer skin.

Many product analysis and critical reviews are posted on the Internet. Some are claiming that the said product is relatively effective compared to other Pond’s products and more expensive brands but majority of the feedbacks are not recommending Pond’s Pure White because of its ineffectiveness.

Online Reviews

“I love this product! I watched a couple of reviews on youtube and purchased off of Ebay. great cleanser. I had a really bad outbreak of acne last year that left really bad scars on my face and this has helped faded them…”

“Cleans thoroughly that I can skip my toner too. It’s one of the deep cleansing face wash I have ever tried.”

“My skin is oily and pimple prone. I use it twice a day and have found it really good. It is worth paying. Right from the first use, the change is noticeable. You will find your skin tone getting better day by day. 
Also small amount produces good foam to clean your face. It is best for all skin type as it cleans your face thoroughly by removing dirt and oil.”

“I have to admit, the scent grows on you. It's a little unpleasant at first and it made my skin feel pretty clean. But it didn't clear away my blemishes like it promised it would.”

On Scientific Claims

Mr. Henson Lee Yu, a full-time instructor in the Chemistry Department of Ateneo de Manila University, with an M.S. in Chemistry in the same university was interviewed regarding this topic and he said, “When carbon is activated, or exposed to a large amount of heat, it will be porous enough to adsorb a lot of things in its immediate environment. It is the same logic when activated charcoal is used to remove bad smell in refrigerators, among others. Just like in the commercial, it will work only if you use the fresh charcoal but if you combine it with the other ingredients of what makes Pond’s Pure White, the porous spaces then become covered and used up. And upon applying on your face, the activated carbon will just serve as abrasives.”

Pond’s Pure White may seem really appealing to its audience because of the irony of its appearance and its purpose but when analyzed more deeply, it seems to have flaws all over its claims.

Sources 

Activated Carbon. (2014, March 4). Retrieved March 6, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon

Cleansers - Ponds - Ponds Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam with Activated Carbon. (2012). Retrieved February 27, 2014, from MakeupAlley: http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=135932/Ponds-Pure-White-Deep-Cleansing-Facial-Foam-with-Activated-Carbon/Ponds/Cleansers

Skincare: Pond’s Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam. (2011, January 16). Retrieved February 27, 2014, from ADVENTURES OF A MAKEUP NEWBIE: http://adventuresofamakeupnewbie.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/skincare-ponds-pure-white-deep-cleansing-facial-foam/


Unilever. (2013). Deep Cleansing Facial Foam Cleansing. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from Pond's: http://www.ponds.com.ph/Products/Detail/Pure-White-Deep-Cleansing-Facial-Foam-49.aspx
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Monday, 10 March 2014
TIME 01:53
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The Evolution of Media Formats
Individual Project

Marie Julliene N. Solidum
2013-52165
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TIME 00:05
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Salvador, Mikko Chino R.
2013-70157
STS Individual Project
Nuclear fusion is considered by many as the front-runner in being the source of energy of the future. This type of nuclear reaction is not yet used in today’s generation of nuclear power. This is because of the conditions required in nuclear fusion. In a fusion reaction, the atoms basically need to be close enough so that their residual nuclear force would fuse them together. Because of that, it requires a very high temperature of about one hundred million Kelvin; this gives the atoms enough energy to overcome the electrical repulsion between the protons. It also requires a very high pressure in order to squeeze the atoms together because they must be within 1x10-15 meters of each other to fuse. (Freudenrich, 2005, p. 3) 
Fusion power is currently being researched upon by scientists and currently has two proposed ways that can be used to use nuclear fusion as an energy source. The first one is “magnetic confinement”, which will be used in the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project in France. This uses super-conducting magnets to squeeze the “plasma”, thus allowing fusion to occur. The “plasma” is formed by heating a stream of hydrogen gas through the use of microwaves, electricity and neutral particle beams from accelerators. Since the “plasma” is charged, magnets could repel it. Super-conducting magnets are used to compress it. The magnet forces the “plasma” inwards and creates a huge amount of pressure. This makes it possible for fusion reaction to occur since the two requirements for fusion, extremely high temperature and pressure, are satisfied. The most efficient shape for the magnetically confined “plasma” was found to be a donut shape (toroid). A reactor of this shape is called a “tokamak”. (Freudenrich, 2005, p. 4)  This is what most models of “magnetic confinement” use, including the ITER project. The power needed to start the fusion reaction in this way will be about 70 megawatts, but the power yield from the reaction will be about 500 megawatts. It also follows the same concept as nuclear fission in transforming the heat obtained into electricity by using steam to operate turbine generators. (Freudenrich, 2005, p. 5)
Tokamak (“Magnetic confinement”, nd)
The second type of nuclear fusion reactor uses “inertial confinement” which is currently being experimented on in the National Ignition Facility of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in the United States. It uses laser beams to induce fusion by focusing on a single point in a 10-meter-diameter target chamber called a “hohlraum” which is a cavity whose walls are in radiative equilibrium with the radiant energy within the cavity. At the focal point inside the hohlraum, there will be a pea-sized pellet of “deuterium-tritium” fuel encased in a small, plastic cylinder. The power from the lasers will heat the cylinder and generate X-rays. The heat and radiation will convert the pellet into plasma. It would also produce shock waves and compress the plasma inwards, creating a very high pressure. Like “magnetic confinement”, it also satisfies the two requirements in fusion reaction. The fusion reaction will be short-lived, about one-millionth of a second, but will yield 50 to 100 times more energy than is needed to initiate the fusion reaction. This also uses the same concept as the fission reactors in converting heat into electricity. (Freudenrich, 2005, p. 6)
Inertial Confinement (“Nuclear Fusion: Inertial Confinement”, nd)
Overall, nuclear fusion has the most potential of being the energy source of the future. It could produce tremendous amounts of energy using only a small amount of fuel and unlike nuclear fission, it uses hydrogen isotopes which can be found everywhere and is one of the most abundant elements in the universe and it also doesn’t produce any radioactive substances. It could be of great help to our problems with economy and energy without affecting the environment. Like any other source of energy, it isn’t without risks but with extensive research and proper execution, it could be the ideal source of energy for the future.


References : 
Chem Connections. Nuclear Fusion: Inertial Confinement. Retrieved from http://chemconnections.org/crystals/new/graphics/icfprocess.gif. March 8, 2014.
Freudenrich, C. (2005, August 11). How Nuclear Fusion Reactors Work. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/fusion-reactor.htm. March 8, 2014.
INPE. Magnetic Conefinement. Retrieved from http://www.plasma.inpe.br/LAP_Portal/LAP_Site/Figures/Tokamak_Schematic.gif. March 8, 2014.
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TIME 00:03
Brief History About Washing Machines

Imagine washing your clothes in the nearby river from your house? Or fetching water 7-8 times from the nearby well just to be able to wash your clothes? Or maybe spending almost the whole day doing you laundry of 1-week-clothes? Isn’t it hassle for you to do that? Good thing, washing machines were invented. We don’t have to do all the things mentioned above just for us to be able to use our clothes again. But what if we are to live in the past? Well, these are what we are to be experiencing during those times.

This photo essay is a brief but imaginative and creative timeline of washing machine, and under the pictures are very short descriptions about the photos. I hope that you, reader, will be entertained and at the same time be informed of how doing laundry looked like before and how it evolved into the washing machines that we are all using today.








 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
A Net and A Washboard



 People before used to wash their clothes using net, washboard and basin.



 Before, there are no faucets, that's why most people used pumps in order to have water.



 Here in the Philippines, we used to use this "Palo-palo" to help remove soap from the washed clothes.



 People before also used pails in order to fetch water that will be used in washing clothes.



 Here is a mini replica of James King's invention of washing machine in 1851 in wherein it is still done manually but with less hassle and water used.



 Here again is another mini replica of a rotary washing machine that has a wringer on top. The rotary washing machine was first invented by Hamilton Smith in 1858 and later improved by William Blackstone in 1878.



 The picture above is now what most washing machines look like. Alva J. Fisher was the first one who invented washing machines powered by electricity.



 The person above is washing clothes using a washing machine, which also includes a dryer beside connected to it.


 Here is an example of a dryer(this was what the wringer before was for) that is separated from the washing machine.



 The present-day washing machines have improved a lot and here are some of the features of these modern machines. Of course, the number one is the plug.



 This is what the interior looks like. Its features are improved not only to wash clothes but to also maintain the quality of the clothes that are being washed.


And here is the hose where water flows after being used in the washing machine.


 Lastly, here are the buttons and "setters" where we can choose how strong or how slow we want the spinners inside to spin.
 




References:
Yukozimo(2010), Who invented the washing machine? Who invented it? Retrieved from http://invention.yukozimo.com/who-invented-the-washing-machine/ on March 8, 2014
Vaunt Design Group(2005), Washing machine The great idea finder Retrieved from http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/washmachine.htm on March 9, 2014 
 


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Sunday, 9 March 2014
TIME 20:13
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- an individual project by Clare Tan, 2013-14912

Two silicon wafers met, as if forced to be together by some unconcerned engineer. He was a pessimistic sort of guy, (having been scarred by phosphorus in the past). Too many electrons weighed down on him, with nowhere to go and no one to accept them. They called him the N-type doped silicon, N for short.
She on the other hand, was carefree and blithe. She had blessings and boron atoms, dreams of the future and gaps still waiting for someone to fill them. She was P-type doped silicon, but her enemies called her P.
They were two semiconductors, forced by the impurities of life to be something more than themselves. Do opposites attract? They could only say yes. There is no freedom where the laws of physics are concerned.
And they tried, of course. At first, it seemed like everything was perfect. She was light enough to take away all his problems, free enough to carry all his hang-around electrons. She had holes in her heart that only he could fill. They were meant for each other like pieces of a puzzle – it should have been alright.
It should have been alright.
But the problems came. The more problems he gave her, the less energy she had to take in more. And there were always more.
They were changing. She was becoming negative. And he had been forced to be positive in return, trying to help her but never really being able to in the end.
Things cascaded downwards until nothing could turn them back, and everything was forever happening in the wrong direction. There was an electric barrier in the air, brought about by the ever sharpening differences in their personalities.
And when sometimes, a ray of light would hit – some crisis would occur to shake up what was becoming a slow road to middle-aged couple unhappiness – he would try to take the problem all on himself. He would do that, and try to make sure all the good things – the extra money, etc. – went to her. Because really, she was too negative to take any more, and in his heart, he knew that had been his fault.
But life wasn’t meant to work that way – all pain and no joy. Secretly she wanted to help him too, to share things with him again, if only she could.
Thankfully, that’s when therapy came in.
Therapy is a bit like having a big metal conductor attached to both sides of the couple – you find someone else to help you get around that electric barrier in between. And through that third person, they would find small ways to help each other out – to share both the good things and the bad. A small current began to flow – granted it was a less than 50% efficient current, it was still there.
Together, they had become something more than themselves, something they had always been meant to be.
Together, they had become a solar cell.

References:
(Note: this is a work of fiction, so I did not include citations. However, I would like to thank the following sources for helping me understand solar cells better)
Aldous, Scott & Toothman, Jessika, 2000. How Solar Cells Work. How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell.htm. March 1, 2014

Knier, Gil, 2002. How Do Photovoltaics Work? NASA Science News. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/solarcells/. March 1, 2014

“The Power of the Sun - The Science of the Silicon Solar Cell.” YouTube. Flash video file. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0hckM8TKY0  March 9, 2014
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TIME 13:42
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       For the past few years, a lot of helpful technological advances have been either made or discovered. Through the years, so much of these new things have been incorporated in our daily lives that we sometimes struggle to be without it. From cell phones, flat screen plasma TV’s, laptops, video special effects, air conditioning units and cars, the inventors believe that it is now time for us to start yet another piece of technology: electronic tattoos.
       Electronic tattoos are simply tattoos like microchips that will be implanted on the skin. Different companies have dreamt of a lot of uses of electronic tattoos, the most famous being using it in replacement of passwords and other security measures, and the most recent being using it to be a microphone attached to the throat.
       There are two versions of the electronic tattoos envisioned by Motorola: first as a means of security, the other as a form of convenience. As a means of security, Motorola has patented a tattoo and an electronic pill that would create certain electric impulses to replace a password. It is far more effective than biometrics since no one would be able to duplicate the data the tattoo or pill emits. The pill expires after a few hours, and was told to be safe.
       On the other hand, as a means of convenience, Motorola has patented a tattoo to be placed on the throat. It is made to be able to connect with a smartphone, a gaming device, a tablet, or even a computer via Bluetooth, NFC or ZigBee, etc. The tattoo is programmed to remove all the background noises during a phone call and take only sound using the vibrations made by the throat when speaking.
However, both of these patents are still far from being a reality. Motorola is going to be sold by Google to Lenovo, it was told that the research team will still be kept by Google. It is not the first time that Google has made endeavors to create new technology that seem far-off. They have also patented Google Glass, which is a computer in a reading glass.
This is like making the science fiction movies come true. Slowly, what those movie producers only imagined is turning into a reality. The tattoo for the throat is said to be also applicable to animals. Who knows what these super companies attempt next? Who knows what more gadgets we only ever see in TV and movies get to be a reality? What is the next step for technological advancement? Only time can tell.

References:
Derek Mead. November 12, 2013. Laugh At Google’s E-Tattoo All You Want, You’ll Be Wearing One Soon. http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/laugh-at-googles-e-tattoo-all-you-want-youll-be-wearing-one-soon. March 8, 2014.

Andrew Couts. November 12, 2013. Who Needs Headsets? Motorola Patents ‘Neck Tattoo’ Smartphone Accessory. http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/motorola-google-patents-throat-tattoo-microphone/#!y2k6o. March 8, 2014.

Google Glass website. http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/. March 9, 2014.


Liz Gannes. May 29, 2013. Electronic Tattoos and Passwords You Can Swallow: Google’s Regina Dugan Is a Badass. http://allthingsd.com/20130529/electronic-tattoos-and-passwords-you-can-swallow-googles-regina-dugan-is-a-badass/. March 9, 2014.
Karmela Rae T. Baldo
2013-18602
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TIME 10:04
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Have you ever dreamed of going to space? Have you ever wondered how it was like to be the first human being to set foot on the moon?  As of today, no Filipino had yet traveled to space. But thanks to the program, AXE Apollo Space program, in 2015, Mr. Chino Roque will be the first Filipino astronaut to travel to space (Manila Bulletin, 2013).

The most famous travel in space was in 1969, Neil Armstrong traveled to the moon and he was the first person to set foot on it (Space, 2013). But as a Filipino, we should also know that in the year 1971, the first Filipino invention landed on the moon (Bellis, n.d.). The invention was the most famous, “Moon Buggy” or Lunar Rover. It was used by the astronauts to travel on the moon (Howell, 2012). The Filipino who conceptualized it was Mr. Eduardo San Juan.

Dr. Eduardo San Juan studied in Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) and University of Washington for a degree in Nuclear Engineering (Bellis, n.d.). But what if Dr. San Juan did not have thought about that invention, would the Apollo 15 still be a success? One of the missions of Apollo 15 is to survey the moon, its different land formations, and rocks (Howell, 2012). Without the Moon Buggy, the astronauts would not be able to travel on the moon efficiently. You might be thinking, there would be possibly other vehicle that the astronauts would use and there wouldn’t be any difference.  But keep in mind that it was the moon and space that we were talking about here. The force of gravity there was different, the atmosphere, the land, etc. Simply put, it was a different ball game.  

Before the invention of Dr. San Juan was chosen to be the vehicle that the astronauts would use, there was a test demonstration whether the prototypes of the different proposed vehicles will pass the test. But out of all of the vehicles that were tested, only the Moon Buggy passed the test (Bellis, n.d.). Thus, it was chosen as the vehicle to use in Apollo 15 mission. But what if the invention of Dr. San Juan did not made the cut? Will the fate of the mission changed? Will the fate of the Filipinos changed? Or better yet, did the Moon Buggy affect in any way at all the lives of the Filipinos?

The effect of the invention of Dr. San Juan to the daily lives of the Filipinos may not be direct but there was certainly a positive effect. Dr. San Juan showed that with intelligence, creativity, hard work, and faith, as cliché as it may sound, dreams do come true and these dreams can inspire people to also live out their dreams and contribute in putting Philippines in the map by having great scientists, engineers, doctors, etc. that will help in shaping the lives of the people to be a better nation. When this happens, at last, when people think of the Philippines they will no longer think about corruption and natural disasters but its great contribution to science, technology, society and ultimately, to humanity.

References:

Bellis, Mary. (n.d). Eduardo San Juan. About. http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/EduardoSanJuan.htm. 8 March 2014

Howell, Elizabeth. (6 September 2012). Apollo 15: Moon Buggy Debuts. Space. http://www.space.com/17483-apollo-15.html. 8 March 2014

Manila Bulletin. (7 December 2013). First Filipino Astronaut Named. Yahoo News. http://ph.news.yahoo.com/first-filipino-astronaut-named-185504245.html.  8 March 2014


Space. (25 August 2013). Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon. Space. http://www.space.com/15519-neil-armstrong-man-moon.html.  8 March 2014
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